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Bulloch County engineer recommends full replacement of Cypress Lake Road bridge after inspection finds rot and damage
Summary
County engineers told commissioners the timber‑pile bridge at Cypress Lake Road will likely need full replacement; estimates range from $500,000 to rehabilitate to ~$1.5 million for a full replacement, and the board authorized staff to negotiate design services.
Bulloch County Engineer Brad Deal told the Board of Commissioners that the Cypress Lake Road bridge at Dry Branch—closed after an accident—has extensive preexisting decay in timber piles and that Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) inspection recommended engineering evaluation.
Deal said GDOT’s bridge office found extensive decay in the bridge’s timber piles and concluded a structural engineer should evaluate the structure. He estimated a rehabilitation to restore the bridge would cost about $500,000 and would likely leave the bridge with a posted weight limit (roughly 10–15 tons). A full replacement, Deal said, is estimated at about $1.5 million and would remove the weight restriction and bring the crossing to current safety standards, but would take longer to design and build.
“Based on the age and condition of this bridge, I don’t think my recommendation is that it’s worthwhile to try to rehabilitate it,” Deal told commissioners, recommending negotiation with a bridge engineer to begin design work for replacement and to pursue possible supplemental funding from GDOT and FEMA where eligible.
Commissioners discussed the bridge’s local importance—school buses and heavy equipment use the route—and agreed to move forward with negotiations for engineering design and to identify funding sources, including available bridge maintenance funds and reallocating T‑SPLOST funds if necessary. The board instructed staff to negotiate a design contract and return with a proposal and funding plan.
Why it matters: The bridge, built in 1970 and supported on timber piles, is at the end of its useful life according to county staff. The closure affects adjacent neighborhoods and detour routes; a full replacement would remove weight restrictions but carries a significant price tag and a multi‑year construction window.
Ending: Staff will begin negotiations with a bridge engineer to develop design documents and a project cost estimate for board consideration. Commissioners expressed urgency to move quickly because GDOT replacement programs may take years.
